The Epic Journey

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Wednesday, December 12, 2012

I'm a few days late, but it's been just about a year since I called the end, and a little more than that since I took my last Accutane pill.

First, it's all still good-

There are always a few little things every now and then, and I definitely don't want to make any presumptions, but if it keeps going the way it is I may have been lucky enough to avoid a second round of Accutane.

Which is wonderful. I know I'm a little biased now that I've been treated for so long, but spending another six months with live skin peeling off is that last thing I want to do. Of course, if that needs to happen, I definitely won't hesitate, but I'm happy with this whole not having terrible acne business.

So, like I said, it's been a year. And in case someone comes along that's in the position I was back when I started this, there are some things you might want to know.

I haven't had any side effects since I made that post a year ago. I still have a few episodes of really mild dryness that might not have happened otherwise, but it's not a problem.

My face isn't completely clear. A typical week now consists of having two or three small ones show up, with maybe one being distractingly visible, and they're usually gone before they outstay their welcome.

Yes, it's very, very noticeable to everyone that it's gone. Or at least it was back in spring when it was a new thing. I'm not the most sociable person, not the type that has constant contact with people, so I never really got friends and acquaintances stopping me and saying something about it, but if you are one of those people and your friends/acquaintances don't think they'll offend you, they'll let you know.

Additionally, being not particularly sociable, I can't say anything about the ladies. Or the gentlemen if you're a lady or otherwise into gentlemen. But I'd guess it doesn't hurt your chances.

I still wash my face once a day, even though I should be doing it twice a day but I'm a rebel so screw your rules. Right now I don't need any fancy things to keep it in check, although they're available if I need them.

Shaving is no longer a game of Minesweeper.

Accutane is still all kinds of worth it. Naturally, it's different for every case and the most important source here is your dermatologist, but if Accutane is being offered as an option and there aren't any outstanding reason for you to not go on it, it's six months of terrible pain and suffering to improve the rest of your life. Just do it over summer when you won't be seeing that many people.

So if anyone happens to find this and it turns out to be useful then my job is done. And good luck. Pass on the knowledge and all that.

EDIT: iPhone pictures taken in front of a computer screen at midnight are apparently very unflattering. I don't look this miserable in real life. Not anymore, at least.

Saturday, March 3, 2012

It's been two months since the last post, figured it would be good to check in again since I just recently had my next dermatologist visit. Everything's looking good (as you can see for yourself) and I now have a super fancy soap thing and a super fancy topical thing to use to make sure it stays looking good. I've had a couple very minor breakouts, in fact I'm just recovering from one right now, but so far it's never gotten out of hand or lasted more than a couple days. It's great not having to worry about it anymore. And because of this and other reasons that will not be disclosed, I feel a very noticeable, very strong increase in confidence. It's all relative, though, I may be twice as confident as before, but that's still way low on the scale overall. And you know what? I don't care. I'll take what I can get. And this all is so much better than I could've anticipated.

Oh yeah, and apparently there was a small issue with my white blood cells the last time I had my blood sampled. Did it again this last time to check, and I haven't gotten any calls saying I have zombie cancer.

Friday, December 9, 2011

It's been a while. Three months and five days, to be exact. The day before Thanksgiving, can't remember what day it actually was (but it was a Wednesday, obviously), I took may last dose of Accutane. A couple weeks later, and, well, those pills are a miracle-

I'm basically done recovering from the side effects now. Since I came off, there have been a few tiny, tiny areas that get a bit inflamed, as you can see, although the lighting in the picture makes it look much worse than it actually does.

My lips aren't chapped anymore, I don't have the skin below my mouth peeling off, the backs of my hands aren't getting scaly, and my face is clear. It took a very, very long time, but it's done.

For now.

Chances are I'll go on another six month cycle of Accutane, seeing how stubborn my case was. But I'll enjoy the time I have right now.

I also had no idea how much older I look after these three months. I guess all the sleepless nights and AP courses (see: sleepless nights), I'm already becoming a grizzled old man. And tomorrow I'm getting up very early for volunteer work, working with lots of little kids, so my patience and old man-ness will be put to the test for eight hours straight.

My "production company" and I are working on another, larger film right now, and because of connections with the University of Texas film school, it'll be in at least one major festival. I'm playing the lead again, and now I look the part.

I've been playing the balls out of Skyrim for the last few weeks. Rolled first as an archer with Destruction, Restoration, and Sneak, and then archery turned out to be way overpowered. Second and current time I went with traditional One Handed, Block, and Light Armor. Also been playing on a Minecraft server with a good friend making lots of ice and snow things.

Basically, life is going great. I feel so much more confident after everything I've done since summer, and especially with my acne being gone for once. I don't have to worry about positioning things in front of my face anymore to block bad spots or ignoring all the looks I got when there was a huge thing on the tip of my nose. I accidentally made a habit out of rubbing my face in thought or in nervousness, and now it's smooth. Well, not smooth smooth, but there are now large bumps or open sores anywhere. And I still have a bit of scarring, some permanent that you might be able to see, but nothing that I'm not already used to.

So I guess I'm calling it permanently. I've been waaaaaay too busy over these months to continually update this, and I figured it wouldn't get any different from September until the end, and I was right. But now it's over. My acne is treated. I have completed my epic journey. And I'll leave you with this-